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PASADENA — Police subdued and arrested a man who held his 10-month-old daughter at knifepoint during a standoff with officers at a Pasadena motel early Saturday, officials said.
Steven Flowers, 32, of Pasadena is accused of assault with a deadly weapon and child endangerment following the incident, which unfolded about 12:45 a.m. at the Lincoln Motel, on Lincoln Avenue just south of Howard Street, Pasadena police Lt. Jason Clawson said.
Police were first summoned to the motel by staff who reported a domestic disturbance inside a room involving Flores and the mother of his baby, the lieutenant said.
“Upon arrival, they found that Mr. Flowers was in a motel room and armed with a knife,” Clawson said. “He had picked up his daughter and held her at knifepoint.”
He had locked himself inside the motel room with the infant in one hand, and a knife with a 6-inch-long blade in the other, Pasadena police officials said in a written statement.
An officer began negotiating with Flowers and urged him to drop the knife and release the baby, as other officers assembled a rescue team to force their way into the room if necessary, officials said. Flowers dropped the knife, but remained locked inside the motel room with his daughter.
Using a key card they had obtained, officers then rushed into the room.
“Upon entering the room, the suspect retreated into the corner of the bedroom and appeared to be squeezing the infant,” according to the police statement. “Flowers was aggressive, belligerent and appeared paranoid.”
Officers then engaged in a pre-arranged rescue plan, with each officer assigned a specific role in rescuing the child and subduing the father, police said.
Police shocked Flowers with a Taser as they took him into custody, Clawson said. He he also suffered a broken nose as police wrestled him into custody.
The baby was unharmed, and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services was notified, police said.
Clawson commended the five officers and sergeant who took part in the rescue and arrest.
“They did an awesome job,” the lieutenant said. “They showed restraint in a confrontation that could have ended in the use of deadly force.”
Flowers was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail pending his initial court appearance, according to county booking records.

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